Flue-cleaner.



. FLUE CLEANER. APPLICATION FILED JAN-5,1916.

1,191,236. PatentedJuly18,l916.

MICHAEL RIG, OF MONACA, PENNSYLVANIA.

ELITE-CLEANER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J uly 18, 1916.

Application filed January 5, 1916. Serial No. 70,430.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, MICHAEL Rico, subject of the King of Hungary, residing at Monaca, in the county of Beaver and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Flue-Cleaners, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in flue cleaner.

The primary object of this invention is the provision of a device adapted for forcible movement through a flue such as a combustion flue of a furnace for the purpose of resiliently engaging the sides thereof and removing all soot and foreign particles therefrom.

A further object of the device is the provision of a manually propelled cleaner for flue conduits, the same being adapted for longitudinal as well as rotary movement within the flue and provided with cutting members for scraping the soot from the flue during the resilient engagement between the said cutting member and flue sides.

In arranging the device, a head is provided having a push rod secured thereto and with spaced outwardly tensioned resilient arms carried thereby, which latter are provided with both transverse arcuate cutting blades and with inclined longitudinal scraper plates.

With these general objects in view and others that will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel combination and arrange ment of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and forming a part ofthe appended claim.

In the drawings forming a part of this application and in which like-designating characters refer to corresponding parts throughout the several views,:Figure 1 is a side elevation of the device with partsbroken away illustrated in its operative position within a flue, a section of the latter being shown in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is an elevational view ofthe opposite side of the device from that shown in Fig. 1, and partially broken away, Fig. 3 is an elevational view of the forward end thereof. Fig. 4: is a perspective view of one of the cutting blades detached. Fig. 5 is a similar view of one of the scraper plates detached, and Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a portion of one of the resilient arms of the device.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, a flue 10 is illustrated in Fig. 1 with the device operatively positioned for movement therein under the influence of an operating push rod 11, it being understood that the device is serviceable in cleaning the inner surface of any form of flue or pipe through which the device may be forced.

A cylindrical head 12 is provided with a screw-threaded socket- 13 in one end thereof and in which the push rod 11 is arranged in seating engagement, while a lock nut 14 carried by the said rod removably retains the rod connected to the head.

The rod 11 being secured to what may be termed the rear end of the head 12, the opposite or forward end 15 thereof is flattened and enlarged-and has substantially quadrilateral-shaped arms 16 formed of resilient metal secured to the opposite faces thereof by means of rivets 17 Each of the arms 16 has its opposite outer corners curved inwardly or incised as at 18, while transverse openings 19 are positioned therebetween and longitudinal openings 20 are arranged through the longitudinal center of each of the said arms. Substantially triangular-shaped scraper plates 21 provided with attaching lugs 22 are arranged longitudinally upon the outer sides of the arms 16 with the lugs 22 secured within the arm' openings 20 by being headed over uponthe inner sides of the said arms or in any other desirable manner.

Substantially semi-circular plates 23 having outwardly projecting peripheral cutting edges 21. are arranged in pairs secured together-by means of rivets 25 with the said cutting edges extending in opposite directions. The said plates 23 are provided with centrally radially extending slots 26 whereby pairs of said plates are arranged transversely of the outer side of each of the arms 16 by having the slots 26 thereof seated within a central notch 27 in the outer corner of the apex portion of the adjacent scraper plate 21, the said plates 23 being provided with projecting lugs 28 which are positioned through the openings 19 of the carrying arms and are bent over in opposite directions as best illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

It will be noted that when the plates.23 are in position, the cutting edges 2 1 are overlying the opposite edges of the plate notches 27 and will be in alinement with the opposite edges of the arm excisions 18.

From this detailed description of the device, the complete operation thereof will be seen to consist in forcing the forward end of the cleaner within the flue 10 by means of the push rod 11, thus bringing the resilient plates 16 closer together than their normal flared positions which brings the plate edges 24 in resilient contact with the adjacent curved inner surfaces of the flue or pipe 10. It will be seen that the scraper plates 21 are of substantially the same dimensions as onehalf of each of the arms 16 and the said plates being positioned in alinement with each other and perpendicularly to the arms 16, the outer forward edges 29 of the arms 16 are correspondingly inclined, while the plates 2]. are similarly inclined as at 30, thereby furnishing a form of tapered jaws rigidly insertible within the open end of a flue and being forced therein, the arms 16 are forced towardeach other by a wedging action of the aforementioned edges 29 and 30, thus operatively positioning the plate edges 24. in contact with the flue. The rear edges 31 of the arms 16 are similarly inclined with respect to the rear edges 32 of the scraper plates. By reciprocating the device by means of the push rod 11, the plate edges 24 are forcibly moved over the inner surface of the flue 10 for scraping the same and removing the soot and dirt therefrom it being understood that the device may be revolved for bringing the said edges in engagement with the entire inner surface of the flue. The scraper edges may also be made to slightly engage the inner flue surfaces.

Vhile the form of the invention herein shown and described is what is believed to be the preferred embodiment thereof, it is nevertheless to be understood that minor changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

What I claim as new is A flue cleaner comprising a head having a receiving socket at one end and an enlarged flattened portion at its other end, a push rod secured within the said socket resilient normally outwardly flaring quadrilateral arms rigidly secured to the opposite face of said flattened head portion and having excisions at their opposite outer corners, scraper plates perpendicularly positioned longitudi nally upon the outer faces of the said arms and having notches in their opposite outer corners, pairs of semi-circular plates secured together and positioned perpendicularly with respect to the said arms and plates and engaging within the said plate notches and having oppositely projecting sharpened edges overlying the sides of the said notches and positioned in alinement with the edges of the said excision.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature.

MICHAEL RIGO.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

